Free Republic

On this Independence Day, I am so very proud of all those who have chosen to serve our great nation and I honor their selflessness and the sacrifices of their families, too. If I may, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the last 24 hours and share my thoughts with you.

AN UNUSUALLY cold winter (it snowed in Saudi Arabia and Iraq; temperatures fell to minus 80 degrees in Siberia) has been followed by an unusually cool spring (it snowed in North Dakota in June for the first time in 60 years). This may be why only 42 percent of respondents in a June Rasmussen poll published think human activity is causing global warming, and many who do don't see it as a serious problem. In a Gallup poll in March, warming ranked last among eight environmental concerns. To combat a problem which probably doesn't exist, the House narrowly passed last...

Ex-Topless Model To Host Leaders’ Partners At Berlusconi’s Summit By NICK PISA 04th July 2009 Not topless now: Mara Carfagna, Italy's Equal Opportunities Minister [Pic in URL] Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has solved the problem of not having a First Lady by his side for this week’s G8 Summit – a former topless model turned minister will look after the spouses of world leaders. Dark-haired former calendar girl Mara Carfagna, – now Italy’s Equal Opportunities Minister – will guide the partners of the prime ministers and presidents at the conference. The idea might put a smile on the face of...

Ratcheting up her offensive against the news media, Gov. Sarah Palin’s attorney threatened Saturday to sue mainstream news organizations if they publish “defamatory” stories relating to whether Palin is under federal investigation. In an extraordinary four-page letter, Alaska-based attorney Thomas Van Flein warns of severe consequences should speculation that until now has largely been confined to blogs about whether Palin embezzled funds in the construction of a Wasilla, Alaska, sports arena find its way into print. “This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and...

Palin's 2012 Two-Step For those people who doubted whether the Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) resignation decision yesterday was freighted with 2012 presidential implications, we present two pieces of evidence. First, Palin released a statement on her Facebook page today that not only castigated the media for how they covered her announcement ("How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country," she wrote) but only sounded a distinctly presidential note. Said Palin: I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger...

Several thousand people gathered at anti-tax “Tea Party” protests across Ventura County today celebrating Independence Day with a shot across the bow of big government. The demonstration at the Ventura County Government Center attracted a large crowd — organizers counted more than 3,500 with almost as many signing up to be part of an e-mail list, they said. Similar protests were held in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, but with smaller crowds. In Ventura, passing motorists honked as those gathered waved American flags and signs with messages like “We Are In Hot Water,” “One Nation Under God,” “You Can’t Fix...

House Democrats were surprised at the number of Republican votes they won on the razor close climate change vote, which allowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to let a few more Democrats cast their own no votes. In what Democrats are readily admitting was their toughest vote since they took back power in 2007, the eight Republican votes proved critical to letting Pelosi hand out as many free passes as she could to members who thought that it would be too difficult to selling the bill in their districts.   The climate change bill passed 219-212, by just two votes...

Maureen Dowd: “But just remember, beloved Alaska, it’s all about you.” David Kurtz: “Quitters stick to it. Winners quit.” Philip Elliott: “It’s not obvious that going back into the locker room is her best play.” Nick Sabloff: “Why did Sarah Palin decide to ‘abandon the state’?” DNC: “…her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her…” When John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate last year, the liberal media was quick to point out her green record–and I don’t mean environment. To those at The New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, and their...

MOSCOW, July 4 (RIA Novosti) - The speaker of the Russian parliament's upper house said Saturday the United States could give up its plans to deploy a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

I have heard a great deal about the Census Addendum for 2010. I thought that all we were required to provide was the number of inhabitants in the household for representation purposes. I was watching Glenn Beck recently and he was discussing this with a conservative female politician from Minnesota, I believe. I understand that they want to know how far you travel to work, when you leave, when you come home, how much you make, do have guns, etc. etc. I guess that if one does not cooperate, there could be a fine involved. It was stated in the...

Theories abound. But some of the people closest to the Alaska governor say she wanted to regain control of a political script that slipped out of her hands the moment she burst onto the national stage. She also wanted to shield herself and her family from the attacks that seem to have been aimed permanently at them in the 311 days since Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced her as his running mate, according to some former campaign aides and other advisers who speak regularly with Palin or her husband, Todd. ...What that stage may be remains the big question looming...

Howie thread for the week

... In view of the gloomy employment report last week, economists are debating whether to increase stimulus funds over all. But in a side argument, poverty experts are also asking whether elements of the package aimed at the most vulnerable Americans should be extended beyond their scheduled expiration in two years or even made permanent. The new safety-net study found that federal aid programs had helped tens of millions of Americans stay afloat in recent years, especially those with low-end jobs who benefited from rising tax credits. Going into the recession that began in late 2007, however, “the safety net...

Organizing for America | BarackObama.com store.barackobama.com - CachedShirts Accessories Signs & Posters Buttons Runway To Change Stickers Artists for Obama Clearance Sale more results from store.barackobama.com

Here are some pictures from today's Tea Party in Temecula, California. A couple hundred patriots stood in the hot sun and got a ton of support from thousands of people driving by.

Here are some pictures from today's Tea Party in Temecula, California. A couple hundred patriots stood in the hot sun and got a ton of support from thousands of people driving by.

According to Rush, this is the new American national anthem for the banana-republic/Oinquebama age: New Anthem

Now, we've never been to this "Hall of Presidents" at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida (our parents instead taking us to real, disused dungeons and battlefields for family entertainment), but we're thinking about heading down there today -- not because the newest animatronic addition -- President Barack Obama -- has just been unveiled, but because his likeness is so... unlike him, so incredibly, terrifyingly creepy (and yet still impressive all the same). Yes, we'll pop all of our closest friends' children into the van and take a fantastic voyage down to the southern tip of our great nation just...

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new Rasmussen poll reveals that 57 percent of American citizens believe gun sales are up over the past several months because of widespread fears that the government will tighten restrictions on gun ownership. “The poll results confirm what we’ve been saying,” noted Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. “American citizens are fearful that the Obama administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress will pass new laws to further erode the individual right to own firearms. This concern was further enhanced by yesterday’s ruling in Minnesota that far left anti-gunner Al...

Happy Independence Day, God Bless America!